June 2, 2014 - PRLog -- Singapore – Manulife Singapore has launched an integrated retirement-themed campaign highlighting that an unplanned retirement can be distressing but if Singaporeans make a smart choice earlier on in life they are more likely to enjoy a ‘Happy Retirement’.

The campaign connects with Singaporeans who aspire to live a carefree lifestyle during retirement. It features a couple enjoying their holidays and contrasts this with an image of an unplanned retirement, to instil a sense of urgency to plan ahead. It highlights that a Singaporean should take ownership to make his/her retirement a happy one.

The campaign, launched in early May, shows how one can take control to achieve his /her retirement dreams with Manulife Retirement Solutions using a three-pronged approach.

Build Your Wealth. Learn how you can make your money work harder for you. This can help you keep pace with ever-rising inflation and build your retirement nest egg.

Protect Your Wealth. Medical costs and risks increase as you grow older, so take steps to protect your wealth and retirement savings from the costs of ill health.

Enjoy Your Wealth. As Singaporeans live longer, many may outlive their resources. Set up a steady stream of income, so that you can rejoice over the fruits of your labour in your golden years.

“The average Singaporean now lives to 85 years1 and about half will live considerably longer. Hence, there is the risk of Singaporeans outliving their savings. Manulife is here to help Singaporeans with their retirement planning,” said Ms Annette King, President and CEO, Manulife Singapore.

An animated video to illustrate this three-pronged approach can be found on YouTube http://youtu.be/VOWqiu9cFqA. In addition, the Manulife Retirement microsite - www.manuliferetirement.sg has been refreshed and provides resources for retirement planning and a self-help tool to calculate any retirement gap.

The new Manulife advertisements can also be found on 10 buses that shuttle the CBD area, as well as in the heartlands. In addition, the new advertisements can be found on taxis, static posters and in animated videos at select bus stops, as well as in print advertorials providing financial tips and real life examples. You can see them on digital platforms such as Yahoo!, AsiaOne, Channel NewsAsia and on mobile applications and networks.

The island-wide campaign retains the key message – “Secure today, secured tomorrow” with Manulife Retirement Solutions. The campaign also injects a fun element, the “Embracing Longer Retirement” contest on the Manulife Singapore Facebook page - www.facebook.com/manulife.singapore. Fans can share an inspirational story or their fondest memory of the oldest person they know/knew. The three most inspirational stories could win a family studio photo-shoot worth $600. And another four fans stand to win $100 worth of shopping vouchers in a lucky draw.

“This new campaign builds on the success of last year's ‘Never Lose Sight Of Your Retirement’ and leverages consumer insights from our focus group studies. Manulife is the expert in retirement solutions and we promote a 3-pronged approach - build your wealth, protect your wealth and create a regular stream of income - for Singaporeans to enjoy, so that they can have a ‘Happy Retirement’,” said Mr Hitesh Shah, Chief Marketing Officer, Manulife Singapore.

1 Source: Singapore Department of Statistics, Life Expectancy at Age 65 in 2012.

Additional Note to Editors: The press release should not be construed as an offer, advice or recommendation to the purchase of retirement products by the general public. Consumers who are interested in retirement products should approach a financial representative for financial advice before making a commitment to purchase the plan.

About Manulife

Manulife is a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Clients look to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. Our international network of employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to millions of clients. We also provide asset management services to institutional customers. Funds under management by Manulife and its subsidiaries were approximately C$635 billion (US$574 billion) as at March 31, 2014. Our group of companies operates as Manulife in Canada and Asia and primarily as John Hancock in the United States.

Manulife Financial Corporation trades as ‘MFC’ on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under ‘945’ on the SEHK. Manulife can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.